United States Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland has urged NATO to install command and control centers in all six frontline states. She also said that NATO member states should contribute to 'spearhead' rapid reaction force, western media reported.
“We must install command and control centers in all six frontline states,” Nuland said at Brookings Institution.
“First, we have to keep our security commitments top each other… All [NATO allies] must contribute to new ‘spearhead’ force, which will allow us to speed forces to trouble spots,” she said.
According to her, “NATO is a defensive alliance” and its goal is “deterrence of aggression, but if that fails we have to be ready.”
Nuland said that all NATO allies had to contribute as much as they could to the organization. She also noted that “some governments are already trying to slink off the hook,” but failed to elaborate which ones.
She said that sanctions against Moscow imposed by the U.S. should influence its policy towards Ukraine, and not the situation within the country. Nuland insisted they were not aimed at punishing the Russian people but at forcing a change of policy by Russia.
Assistant Secretary noted that Washington hadn’t wanted to resort to sanctions in the dialogue with Moscow, but Russia had left them no choice.
According to Nuland, the equipment the U.S. is giving to Ukraine is purely defensive.
She also said that Washington wanted to be sure that Ukraine would get financial aid and conduct economic reforms, including those against oligarchical capitalism.
